No Rest for the Weary
by Scriptor Pulcher
Summary: The war has finally ended and King Zephiel has lost. Lugh, Chad, and Rei are now destined to an uneventful life of running an orphanage. Or so they thought.... An FE6 Fic.
1. Prologue: The Adventure That Never Ends

**Author's Notes:**  
What do you get when you play a lot of FE6, have too much free time, and an interest in writing? This fic of course! 

For some odd reason I seemed to like these three characters an awful lot. I have no idea why but I just do. Therefore, I wrote a what- happens-next-fic about them. After looking through some older fan fiction on this site I did read a few fics just about the twins or all three of them that I thought were good. Although I have room for a lot of improvement I thought I did a good job for my first fic.

I would appreciate any types of reviews. If you're giving criticism please tell me how I can improve the thing you're criticizing. Flames are not accepted during the summer because it's hot but they are welcomed anytime during the winter. Feedback I'm particularly interested in is if I used commas correctly, if the story was boring or not, and if everyone is in character. Also if anyone loves proofreading and enjoys telling other people how much their grammar sucks please let me know. While I thoroughly check my writing I can't catch every mistake. In fact, I probably miss most of them.

One last thing I want to mention is that I don't have translation of their official endings, so I have no idea what was supposed to happen to them. I just made one up. My ending could be identical to what the game says or the opposite.

**I do not own anything in this story that has to do with Fire Emblem Six.

* * *

**

_Prologue__:  
The Adventure That Never Ends_

Rei sat alone translating the archaic scrolls Niime gave to him. It was a quiet night with only a slight breeze and the glowing moon to keep him company. He enjoyed the isolation because it gave him a few moments of peace. For the past five days Rei traveled with his twin brother, Lugh, and his friend, Chad, to the St. Elimine church in a field near Silva Forest. Rei did not like the idea that they were going to manage an orphanage for he liked to travel. However, he would do anything for the little ones and the church was supposed to be huge.

"Stupid Niime and her stupid scrolls," Rei grumbled in frustration; throwing his quill to the ground. "I better become extremely powerful from translating this chicken scratch or I'm going to kill that crone." The wind picked up and the leaves on the trees began rustle. Rei ignored it. He was not scared easily.

He yawned and decided to stretch his legs. Carefully, Rei rolled up the scroll he was translating and slowly got off the stump. Realizing how late it was, he trudged through the endless sea of weeds back to the camp he and his companions had set up.

Upon arriving he found the fire still flickering and Lugh snoring loudly. However, Chad was nowhere to be seen. While most people who knew him would not expect it, Rei became worried. He cared for his friend and his brother deeply. The thought of losing them was devastating, although he would never admit it.

Rei crept toward his own sleeping bag. Not wanting to draw any attention he quietly rummaged through his belongings. After sifting through dirty clothing, herbs, potions, and various literature he found his Flux tome.

"Now why are you awake?" Rei heard the soft voice and instinctively seized his spell book. He twirled around and was about to cast a hex but stopped abruptly.

Chad stood behind the fire; wrapped in his worn cloak; smiling menacingly. He had been awake taking care of some "business" and saw the perfect opportunity to frighten Rei. "You didn't answer my question," he teased, "Why are you awake?"

"That's not of your concern," snapped Rei. "You're lucky I was in a good mood tonight. If I wasn't your butt would have been swallowed by darkness."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, that's what you always say. Look, the only reason I don't like you staying up late is you're cranky in the morning if you don't get enough sleep."

_And he has been in a grouchy mood ever since we parted with Lord Roy, _thought Chad. However, this did not surprise him after what happened to Rei. Roy made him give back Apocalypse, Niime would not take him in as her student, he was not allowed to live in Arcadia to further study dragons, Sophia did not want to date him, and now he had to live the uneventful life of managing an orphanage in the middle of nowhere. Chad pondered the situation further and realized that Rei was in a good mood given the current circumstances.

"Excuse me for being concerned for your safety," said Rei sarcastically. "Next time I'll have to kill you."

"Sure you will," Chad yawned. "I'm going to bed and I think you should do the same. The morning will come all too quickly." Chad crawled into his sleeping bag and drifted into unconsciousness. Rei watched him and climbed

into his own sleeping bag. He stared into the night sky wondering if he would get any sleep. Lugh was not snoring any softer. In spite of his doubts, Rei fell into a deep slumber.

Lugh woke up early the next morning and took a deep breath. It was sunny out and signs of life reappeared throughout the forest. He saw the occasional squirrel scurrying up a tree, small rabbits looking for food, and a hungry orange fox salivating. After a few moments to relax he relit the campfire and began to make breakfast.

Rei awoke to the scent of herb soup. While the three companions did not have a lot of food his brother always found ways to make a satisfying meal. He could already hear Chad greedily slurping his breakfast.

"Good morning Rei!" Lugh chirped. "Here, have some of my herb soup." Rei took the bowl and a spoon. He began to eat, blowing on the broth between mouthfuls.

Rei glared at Chad. "Will you stop eating so loudly? It's annoying."

Chad looked up at Rei with part of an herb hanging on his nose. "Everything annoys you."

"It does not! And you call me cranky in the morning. Honestly…" Rei continued to ramble. While he was doing this Chad began to laugh hysterically. At first Rei thought Chad went insane and he would have to use his expensive staff to heal him. A few Moments later he realized the only person who made Chad laugh like that was Lugh.

Rei spun around to face his twin brother. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing at all," Lugh replied innocently.

"Don't give me that garbage. You were mimicking me, weren't you?"

"Lighten up Rei. It was only a joke. Besides, Chad thinks it's funny."

"Chad thinks everything you do is funny," Rei muttered under his breath. "Come on guys, let's get moving. I want to sleep in a warm bed tonight."

Without another word the three of them packed up their belongings and continued their journey. In the daytime it was relatively easy to travel through the forest. The problem was avoiding poison ivy and large trees.

"Wait up guys. My cloak got caught in this stupid tree," Chad called out.

"Here, let me help you." Lugh dashed back and tried to pull Chad's cloak out of the tree branch. It was tangled up but after a few good tugs he managed to pull it free.

"Thanks a lot Lugh." Chad smiled. "I'm glad I didn't have to leave it behind."

"Well, well," Rei taunted from afar. "Chad smiled and laughed all in one day. Hell must be freezing over."

"Are you sure deep down he's really a nice guy?" Chad asked Lugh.

"He is but he doesn't like to show it," Lugh responded. "I know at times he can be a total jerk but if either of us where to die right now he'd be totally distraught. I think it's interesting that despite the fact that we're twins we're so opposite from each other. I mean…."

At this point in the conversation Chad was tuning out his friend. Although the conversation was boring him he loved it when Lugh showed his intellectual side. Most people who knew Lugh thought he was easily amused and carefree. This was true but Lugh was also a lot smarter than he let on. Normally Chad would enjoy these types of conversation with his friend but he was not in the mood for it this morning.

Once they caught up with Rei, the three companions journeyed for another hour until they reached a huge field. There the St. Elimine church stood in all its glory. It had a Romanesque appearance, with many small windows, an array of arches, and a golden dome at the top. Only the age of the church degraded its looks. It obviously was built a long time ago.

"Isn't it marvelous?" Chad said to Rei while staring at the church.

Rei sighed. "Meh, it's ok. I've seen better."

"Why you have to be like that all the time," mumbled Chad.

"What was that?"

"Oh…I was uh…just…asking if you could teach me how to read when we finally settle down."

"You can't read?" Rei smirked. "I guess I'll teach you. That way you can learn by yourself, so you won't bother me as much."

"Thanks a lot Rei."

"Whatever. Hey, where did that naïve brother of mine run off to?"

Unknown to Rei and Chad, Lugh already ventured to the church. With great excitement Lugh scampered to the huge bronze door and began to knock on it. After nobody answered he grabbed the handle of the heavy door and tugged. Inch by inch the door opened, adding to Lugh's eagerness. Finally, he was able to get a good look inside of the church. Once he did the blood drained from his face.

* * *

There you have it, the prologue. Personally, I found it extremely boring. Is this because I wrote it or because the fic is not that exciting? I'm happy with the fact that reading the various creative writing guides paid off at least a little bit. It's amazing how much can be learned from writing guides. 

Now I bet you're wondering what Lugh saw. I could take this story in any direction I want to. So, in order to help ease that painful anxiety I know you're going through let me give you a list of possibilities. It could have been his parents, a monster, King Zephiel, a neutron star, an evil dragon, or a reader who is in the process of writing me an intelligent review (which will motivate me to keep writing this story because I find that if I know people actually read my writing it gives me more incentive to continue it). Find out who/what it is next time...on... 


	2. Chapter One: A Magical Experience

**Author's Notes:**  
First I would like to address the rating change. K+ is too restrictive for the direction I want to take this fic, so I changed it to teen. This fic is going to contain some violence, swearing, and sexual references. However, that does not mean I'm going to be immature and use potty humor or have characters swear every other line.

I would like to thank those of you who took the time to write me a review. It's great to know that there are people reading this fic.

Thanks to Phantom Kensai I now have the character endings for Lugh, Chad, and Rei. Personally, I think they are extremely lame compared to my story. I mean they're so ambiguous and uneventful. My story is going to have plot twisting action, heart pounding adventure, and (most likely) passionate romance.

An announcement I would like to make is that I will now do a story status thing in my profile. I will use it to update my progress on how my writing is coming along. This way if I don't update a story for two weeks you'll at least know I'm still alive.

As far as this particular chapter goes I must say that the story gets really interesting. Not only will you get to learn about what Lugh saw you also get to experience plot twists. If you want to know what those are you have to keep reading….

* * *

_Chapter One:_  
_ A Magical Experience_

Although the church was not unique Chad kept staring at it in fascination. He had never seen something so big in his life. It was Rei who brought him back to reality.

"Are you deaf? I asked you if you knew where my brother is."

"Chill, chill, I heard you." Chad brushed some leaves off his cloak. "You're so impatience when you don't get a good night's sleep. Don't worry, he's probably—"

"Rei, Chad, come quickly!"

With great speed Chad and Rei darted toward the Church. After arriving they saw what had frightened Lugh. They were looking in the huge room where mass was conducted. There, scattered amongst the pews, were the mutilated corpses of men, women, and children. On the altar was the skeleton that once belonged to a priest. Apparently the poor man had been the victim of some bizarre ritual. The worst part about the scene was the rotten smell of the decaying bodies.

"Disgusting," Chad murmured.

"So much death…" Lugh whispered. "This makes what Bern did look…humane."

Chad pushed Lugh aside and entered the Church. "I'm going to look for survivors. They'll need our help."

Lugh ran to his friend's side. "I'll help too," he said with newfound bravery. "I will not let anyone else die here."

"Stop!" Rei shouted in vain. Chad and Lugh were too caught up in helping those who might have survived this monstrosity.

Rei sighed in frustration and entered the Church. With all his strength he closed the gigantic door Lugh had opened. He then went searching through his bag and pulled out his Flux tome. Rei began to chant and succeeded in catching the attention of Lugh and Chad.

"What's going on?" Chad asked as he and Lugh returned to the entrance of the Church. "Did you kill the person responsible for this massacre?"

"Sometimes you two can be so dense." Rei glared at his friend and twin brother. "Something does not feel right about this. I think it's a trap."

Chad looked at Rei in disbelief. "A trap? There are corpses of children all over this gods forsaken place and you think it's a trap to get us?"

"That does sound a little far-fetched," Lugh added softly.

"Watch this then." Rei reached under his robes and pulled out a small staff. Despite being a mere one foot in length it was brilliantly decorated with glittering gemstones, gold beads, and a shiny red cylinder that capped it. Rei held the staff high in the air and began to chant. In a few moments a white light encompassed the room. As soon as the light died away the interior of the church vastly changed.

What had once been a comforting shrine to worship Saint Elimine was now a black citadel. The room was dimly lit by a large chandelier riddled with cobwebs. The walls were decorated with ominous pictures and the inmate objects in the room were coated with dust. However, the most frightening change was that of bodies. The corpses had become living people. They were wrapped in black cloaks except for the man on the altar. His robe was blood red.

"I'd hate to say I told you so." Rei grinned in spite of the terrifying scene.

"S-Save it for later," Chad stuttered.

"Let go of my cape, Chad," commanded Lugh with uncharacteristic forcefulness. "Remember what you told me when we first joined Lord Roy's army. 'We mustn't lose our heads in times of crisis'."

"You're right," Chad blushed as he unsheathed his sword.

"Don't be embarrassed," Lugh said while flipping through his Aircalibur tome. "It's ok to get scared every now and then. Oh, Rei, I found your Nosferatu spell book in my bag the other day."

Rei snatched the tome from his brother's bag. "That's where it's been. Stop taking my stuff Lugh. It's annoying."

"This is weird." Chad surveyed the room. "Why haven't all those people ambushed us while we were standing here talking?"

"There is a simple answer to that question." The person on the altar was now standing. While his facial features were shrouded under his hood the man sounded surprisingly young. "That is because it doesn't matter. I'll admit I was surprised that your friend was in possession of Saint Helen's legendary staff, but that just means my followers and I can finish our job a little earlier."

Rei laughed. "Who the hell are you and what do you mean it doesn't matter we're armed or not? I'll have you know the three of us faced actual dragons and the most powerful nation in the world. Do you honestly think that you and your creepy followers can defeat us?"

"Ah, so clever and yet so foolish." The man on the altar jumped onto the ground. As if on cue, the people lying on the pews rose up and went to his side.

Chad gave the signal and the three companions attacked. Lugh and Rei started to cast their spells while Chad lunged forward. To their surprise, the spells Lugh and Rei tried to cast did not appear at all. Chad also had no success. As he went to strike he collided into an invisible barrier that sent him soaring back next to his friends.

"See, I told you it wouldn't matter," the man sighed. "Children these days. They never listen to their elders. Don't you get it? This is one of our special fortresses. We are virtually invincible in here. Sure, it costs a fortune in sacrifices to run this place but it doesn't bother me or my followers."

"So you have some special barrier that keeps us from kicking your ass…" Rei mocked. "How incredible. That makes you and cronies' wimps but at least you answered my first question. Now, I would like to learn a little more about you. A name and an explanation for this scenario would do quite nicely."

The man started to lose his patience. "Listen kid, you're in no position to be rude. I would kill you all right now if it weren't for the prophecy. You wretches consider yourselves lucky. Nothing else would make me hesitate." He regained some of his composure. "Anyway, to answer your question my name is Janus. I'm the leader of this clan here known as the Black Magi. We are a group of powerful renegade magi that study magic anyone wouldn't dare to even think about."

"I have a question," interrupted Chad. "How did we end up here? If I recall, a very nice monk serving Lord Roy gave us a map and told us we would be running an orphanage."

"I think I can answer that." One of clan members stepped in front of Janus and removed his hood.

"N-No way," Chad stammered. There stood the same man who he had thought worked for Roy.

"You see," the imposter monk continued, "the church your 'little ones' happened to seek to refuge was this dark sanctuary. We killed them and used their blood to prepare this place for your arrival. Invisible barriers like the one you encountered right now don't come cheaply. Nor do they work as long as I like but I'm digressing. Back to the point, I was sent by Janus to lead you here. He knew that you would not question a gentle young monk serving the general who defeated Bern and the dragons. It worked out quite nicely for us because we could lead you here easily and help fulfill the prophecy."

When the imposter monk finished talking he put the black hood back on and returned to his original location beside Janus. Lugh had studied the rebel mages since they had gotten off the pews. They stood there still as statues. It was like the clan members were frozen in time. He pondered that for a few moments but realized he had a more important question.

"What is the prophecy I keep hearing about?"

Janus sighed. "You three want to know everything don't you. Basically, it states that someone is to take one girl who is perfect in everyway and a nice, immensely powerful boy who is very opposite from his twin brother, sacrifice the girl then the boy on the altar of darkness in our main fortress, mix their blood, and drink it. It also says that the first person to taste the blood gains immortality. I plan on doing that."

"And what makes you think I'm that one of us is that—"

"Enough questions!" Janus bellowed. "I'm sick of this chatter. It's now time my followers. Grab the boy, head to the fortress, and throw him in the dungeon. I will return to my quarters and make the necessary preparations for the sacrificing that is to take place tonight."

Without a moments hesitation the two robed figures marched through the invisible barrier and grabbed Lugh. He screamed as they dragged him by the arms into side corridor where he disappeared into blackness.

"Are you sure we shouldn't kill the other two now?" a Black Magi member asked Janus. "They could come back and foil our plans. We also could use them as sacrifices."

"Don't worry yourself," Janus reassured his follower. "They will never breakthrough our defenses let alone find our hideout. Besides after the ceremony tonight it won't matter. Our energy must be saved. We have more important tasks to worry about."

Janus raised his hands muttered a spell. Rei and Chad were engulfed in darkness and lost consciousness.

* * *

"Ugh." Chad found Rei and himself in the field they were at earlier in the day. Not much time had passed since the sun was as bright as it was before. However, the time spent in the Dark Sanctuary felt like an eternity to them. 

"So, what now?" Rei said; looking at the sky while lying on the grass.

"How could you ask that?" replied Chad with intensity. "We have to save Lugh and stop this mad man from fulfilling his stupid prophecy."

"I guess we could. Personally, I think the prophecy is a bunch of garbage and that guy just happened to master a very exclusive part of elder magic. By that part I mean what we saw in that room down there."

"But what about Lugh?"

"It's really his fault when you think about." Rei sat up. "I knew there was something fishy about that church. If he hadn't been running ahead, opening that stupid door, I could have used my staff to discover what is about…before it was too late."

Chad finally lost all patience he had for Rei. Filled with rage, he struck him hard in the nose. "I have had it with you! Lugh says you're a good guy deep down but how am I supposed to believe that? All you can do is play the blame game while your twin brother is locked away in some crazy fortress. You don't sound the least bit concerned. Not only that but you are the bitterest person I have ever met. I swear, you could take the most beautiful thing in the world and find something ugly about it. Well I'm through…."

As Chad continued to rant Rei healed his nose by snorting the liquid of a pre-concocted potion he stored in his robes. Slowly, he stood up and looked Chad in the eyes.

"I'm not going to attack you because killing each other won't accomplish anything," Rei said trying to remain calm. "How dare you say that I don't care about my brother. Just because I don't throw a hissy fit over everything doesn't make me a heartless jerk. So what if I'm bitter? It's not like your mister perfect. I can think of so many negative qualities about you that I can stand here all day reciting them. It's a shame I don't have the time at the moment because I would enjoy doing that right about now. You know what? If you think I'm such a terrible person why don't you go rescue Lugh all by yourself? You might as well do it since I don't care about anything and enjoy letting my twin brother get sacrificed by some lunatic!"

"I think I will," replied Chad defiantly. He grabbed his bag and marched off into the forest heading towards a nearby village.

Rei remained alone in the field. He was deeply shaken by the terrible fight he had with his friend. However, he was tired of Chad being so critical of him. Deep down Rei was emotional and caring but it was not in his nature to show that. Unlike his brother, losing his parents made him bitter and traveling made him cynical.

Rei brushed a small tear from the corner of his eye and directed his attention on saving his brother. He made sure he had his belongings and pressed toward the fake church. In his haste, Janus had forgotten to leave people to guard his precious Dark Sanctuary. Rei would now search to see if he could find any clues of where Lugh was located.

* * *

How's that for some plot twisting action? I bet you never expected Lugh to be abducted by a cult or Rei and Chad to fight like that and go their separate ways. I'll admit the prophecy thing is a little weak but it was that thin plot element that allowed the exciting parts of the plot to take place. I'm sure you'll get a kick out of Lugh's cellmate (maybe cellmates). 

As far as the romances I'm planning, there is an m/f couple and an m/m (not Lugh/Rei) couple. Is there anyone here who is so against slash pairs that they will avoid this fic like the plague and other related colloquialisms? I would love to do the pair I'm thinking about but I want to be fair and get some input from readers. And no, I will not reveal romance pairs that I'm thinking about as that would kill some of suspense in the story and I might change my mind later.

In other announcements if you're someone who enjoys proofreading and likes making fun of other people's grammar shoot me an email. My writing is riddled with many small errors I can't catch. Also, if anyone has any links to websites that teach or give creative tips send please send them to me. I'm always trying to improve my writing when I have the time.


	3. Chapter Three: All Roads Lead To Rome

**Author's Notes:**  
There really isn't a whole lot I have to say about this chapter. I want to apologize for the late update. This weekend I had a life and I've been doing a lot of reading (_Sophie's World_ incase you're wondering. Great book in my opinion.) Anyway, I did take a couple of days to work on my writing. In this story I tried to use more descriptive details other than sight and worked on creating mood. If you don't see any noticeable improvements in these areas please let me know.  
A couple of quick announcements. First, I'm probably going to scratch the slash pair I wanted to do, which is _non incestuous_. The one I was thinking of would most likely piss off a lot of people. It's not my goal to offend people. However, if I get a bunch of people telling me they don't care what I do then I'll keep it. The second announcement has to do with the looming school year. Once I go back to school expect my updates to take a little longer. I don't have a lot of free time but I will make the attempt to write.

* * *

_Chapter Two:_  
"_All Roads Lead To Rome"_

It was a busy afternoon in the bustling village of Arbor. Street vendors were selling various products to travelers, which consisted of fuzzy blankets, skunk scented love potions, and overpriced weapons. In front of a tavern a fortuneteller wearing extravagant clothes was trying to con a woman into getting her palm read.

"Madam, you must let me read your palm!" The fortuneteller spoke with a heavy accent. "A great assassin such as you is interested in the future, no?"

"Get a real job," snapped the woman. She pushed the fortuneteller aside and stormed into the tavern.

Despite the fact that it was still early the barroom was still packed. Mercenaries were discussing wages with their bosses, off duty knights were having a few drinks while trading war stories, and the usual of crowd of St. Elimine zealots were telling people to repent their sins. The woman shook head in disgust causing her long, black hair to tremble. Today she did not want to be bothered.

After maneuvering herself around a wasted cavalier she found a comfortable seat at the bar. The woman sat there and waited for the bartender. She needed her favorite drink because of what happened to her at last week's job.

"Ah, Suzie my dear!" greeted the bartender "How are you?"

The woman sheathed her sword and breathed a sigh of relief. She was startled by the bartender's sudden greeting. "Gods, John! How many times have I told you not to do that? One of these days I'm gonna kill you."

"You say that all the time." The bartender smiled. "Let me guess the usual."

"Yes and by the way, why does your breath reek of rotten eggs? Have you been trying to make your own brew again?"

"Well…yeah." His face reddened. "Obviously, I still have a few kinks to work out."

"It needs some work. Now stop wasting my time and get me the damn drink!"

Suzie thought she heard John mutter something but she did not care. All she wanted was her wine and a cozy bed at the inn.

She saw John strolling back with a cup in his hand. "Here you go. One Dragon Twister made to perfection. You look really beat, so I won't charge you for it this time. Just try not to spill it on yourself. This ain't some cheap beer, ya know?"

"Oh I don't plan to." Suzie forced a smile. "Besides, I'm wearing all black. Not like it would matter anyway."

"Indeed. Have a nice day Suzie." John waved to her and continued to serve the other customers.

Suzie sat on the stool; her back to the counter. She was watching a catfight between two waitresses. It made her sad to see two women fight so weakly. As a little girl Suzie had been raised in noble family. Her father taught her that men were supposed to do all the hard work while women should have tea parties and look after the house. This vexed Suzie because she enjoyed discussing politics and sword fighting but was never allowed to participate in those activities. She was scoffed at because she did not act like a proper lady.

One night her life radically changed. It was a normal evening like any other except while she was asleep her parents had been murdered. The next morning she found their disfigured corpses lying on a couch in the foyer. It became apparent that the only reason she survived was because the killer had overlooked her. Later that morning Suzie grabbed her father's sword and left for the village of Arbor. There she would join the fabled Thief's Guild to train as an assassin. While she did not see agree with her parents about how she should act she still loved them. Someday, she would avenge her family

Suzie yawned and rubbed her eyes. She was more tired than she thought. However, the person Suzie noticed walking through the door made her feel wide awake.

Most people would not find anything special about the young boy Suzie saw. At first glance he looked a puny thief with spiky hair, piercing eyes, and a worn red cloak. However, those in the Thief's Guild and who fought in the war knew better. This was the famous orphan who gained fame for his incredible stealing talents. This was the Tornado.

"Hey Tornado," she called out to the boy. He looked confused and a bit nervous. "Yes, I'm talking to you kid. Come take this seat next to me."

"The Tornado, eh?" the boy raised an eyebrow. "You like making up random nicknames for people?"

Suzie frowned. "Look kid, the first thing you should know about me is I don't do those stupid things. I called you that because that's what most thieves call you. Do you have any idea how famous you are?"

"Me famous? All I did was a little treasure looting during the war."

"Yeah, well you were extremely good at it. Don't you find it the slightest bit remarkable that you could put yourself in the fray, grab treasure, fend off enemies, and live to tell the tale?"

The boy sighed. "I guess you could say that."

"What's your real name kid? I'm Suzie."

"I'm Chad." He shook her hand.

"Ok enough chit-chat." Suzie took on a business like expression. "I have something for you that you might be interested in. And treat my stuff nicely. I don't come by treasure like this too often."

Chad watched as Suzie slid a hand into her bag and placed to thin pieces of paper on the table.

"What are you looking at me for? Aren't you gonna read them?"

Chad lowered his head. "Um…I kind of...can't read."

Suzie gave Chad a look of disapproval. "Well, I didn't know you were stupid. How do you ever expect to get ahead in life if you can't read? You should learn sometime soon before people start saying 'The Tornado can't read'. Anyway, the paper to the left is the Fell Contract. The paper to the right is the Rogue Contract."

"What the heck do those do?"

"These are rare, magical artifacts that I acquired with great difficulty," said Suzie in a bragging tone. "If you sign the contract on the left you can become an assassin. If you sign the contract on the right you become a rogue. You can do that, can't you?"

"Yes, I can write my own name lady." Chad snapped. "I can hardly write but I'll have you know I'm quite the artist. However, that's not important now. So tell me, what is an assassin and what is rogue?

"Glad you asked!" Suzie took a large sip of her drink. "An assassin is warrior who uses a deadly combination of stealth and strength. They can sneak around in the most guarded areas unnoticed and can sometimes instantly kill an enemy. A rogue excels in stealing. If you think your skills are good now wait till you sign the Rogue contract. You'll be picking locks with your bare hands and can steal things from even the most vigilant people. There you have it. Now take your pick."

Chad made eye contact with Suzie. "Why are you doing this for me? I have a bad feeling about this."

"It's because Chad," she replied impatiently, "I have no use for these contracts. I'm already an assassin. I could sell them but I don't need the money. Instead, I decided I would let a qualified person sign one of them. Being the great Tornado makes you qualified enough in my book. Now are you going to sign a contract or not?"

"Ok, ok. I'll sign one."

"So, what do you want to be?"

"I want to be an assassin. I made a promise after the war I would quit stealing for good. Being an assassin also sounds like the perfect thing to help me save my friend."

"Good choice. That's what I am." Suzie handed Chad the quill. Although it took great effort, Chad managed to write his name. Once he signed the contract Chad felt himself engulfed in a bright light and serenaded by strange music. When the light and music faded away he noticed that his attire was similar to that of Suzie's. He also felt much stronger

The people in the pub were not expecting something like this to happen. Chad became embarrassed by all the staring faces. Rather than trying to talk his way out of the situation, he scowled and unsheathed his sword. The people in the bar saw the blade and went back to there original activities.

"I feel…great. Thanks a lot."

"My pleasure. After all, I don't want the Tornado to be a weakling."

"I have something to ask of you," Chad said. "My friend Lugh has been abducted by a cult known as the Black Mages. They're led by some weirdo named Janus and they're gonna to sacrifice him tonight. Would you happen to know where their main fortress is?"

"Janus…" Suzie said flatly. "I had to work for him once as a body guard. He might be an eccentric man but he's also very crafty. Sure, I know where his fortress is but infiltrating it and finding your friend will be no easy task. We'll go together. That way you won't be killed instantly.

"You certainly think highly of yourself," Chad muttered. "I bet I could kill you with one hand tied behind my—"

Suzie grabbed Chad by the collar. "How dare you talk about me like that. Nobody ever said the Tornado had such a big mouth. Why I would kill you her right now if I had the energy." She threw Chad to the ground.

Chad stood up while rubbing a bump on his head. "Sorry," he said trying to act like an innocent little kid. "Please help me and I promise never be mean to you again."

Suzie got off the stool and began to laugh. "That was pretty good," she said in between giggles. "I'm sure you could trick even the most hardened bandit to spare your life."

"So, will you help me rescue my friend?"

"Sure, I have a score to settle with Janus anyway. Come on, it's a bit of a hike from here."

"Suzie?" Chad grabbed her shoulder as she was leaving.

"Yes Chad?"

"I don't take kindly to other people pushing me around," he said ominously.

"I've been nothing but perfectly nice to you!" The two of them argued childishly as they set off to rescue Lugh.

* * *

While Chad was traveling with Suzie, Rei was exploring the Dark Sanctuary. He had made his way back into the room where he and his friends had encountered the Black Mages. In spite of the darkness, Rei was able to find his way around the room…kind of…. 

"Ouch!" Rei yelped. "I can't believe there was a random piece of wood sticking out of that stupid pew. I wish I had Lugh's torch right about now."

He continued to fumble around that first room until he came to an equally dark corridor. Step-by-step, Rei walked through the hallway. Now that he stopped bumping into to objects he was beginning to enjoy the solitude of the Dark Sanctuary. Unfortunately, he wouldn't remain alone for long.

"Who's that?" Rei looked behind him but saw the room he was in before. He shrugged his shoulders and kept going but heard the thud again. "Come out and face me you coward. I'm afraid of no one!"

Panicking slightly, Rei jogged through the rest of corridor. As he was opening a door to the next room he felt thick liquid ooze down his robes. Clutching his Nosferatu tome, Rei turned around.

An enormous attack dog stood before Rei. It had bright yellow eyes that were almost blinding, teeth sharp enough to easily render flesh, and unkempt white fur. The beast growled at its prey. It was time for lunch.

Rei stood there, transfixed. His heart pounded as he frantically searched through his Nosferatu tome for any spell that might be able to help him. It was a futile attempt. The dog began to move closer. The putrid odor of its breath was nearly overwhelming. In desperation, Rei decided he would try one spell that he had not yet mastered. This spell could not be found in any tome for it was only listed in the scrolls Niime gave to him. Despite being immensely powerful, if Rei performed the spell incorrectly darkness would claim his soul for all eternity. At least the spell gave Rei a fighting chance.

"Mmmmm…." Rei focused his energy. "NECO!"

The dog was about slit his throat when a beam of dark matter shot from Rei's hands. The beast let out a horrible scream as the blackness consumed it. When it disintegrated into nothing Rei finally relaxed. The spell had worked but at a terrible cost. The spell drained most of Rei's and he was out of vulneraries. If he were to face another monster such as that it would effortlessly kill him.

Before carrying on his journey, Rei went to pick up the peculiar item the dog left on the ground. It was glowing yellow sphere that warmed his hands. Rei squinted and faintly made out an inscription written on it.

"To the finder of this artifact." He read aloud. "If you wish to see in a room throw this sphere on the ground so it breaks. It will light your path. Be weary, for you may only use it once."

Rei slipped the ball in his bag and with great effort opened the door to the next room. Unlucky for him, the door led to a spiral staircase going upwards.

"Damn gods!" Rei panted. "What did I do to deserve this?"

Clanging on the rails Rei painfully climbed the stairs. After what felt like an eternity he reached the entrance to the next room.

"Finally." He growled in frustration. "If I find anymore beasts I'll…well I'll die here. Unless of course they want to be my new best friends. Yeah, that would be great. We could discuss philosophy and dragons." Rei realized that he was starting to get delusional. He hoped the next place would have a magic fountain or something that could heal him.

After opening the door, Rei got a glimpse of the next area and became excited. He was now standing in a great library that was overflowing with books. For a moment, Rei forgot he was tired and scampered to a table in front of him that had ancient magic texts. He tripped on a mold spell book and landed face first on the table.

"Flux!" He yelled in pain, rubbing his forehead. "Why does this always happen to me? It's too dark in this…wait a second! I have that golden thing."

Rei pulled the tiny sphere out of his bag and threw it hard on the ground. The artifact shattered and bright light instantly permeated the room. He could now see clearly and grabbed the book he tripped on. Its title read, "The Black Mage Handbook".

Rei feverishly flipped through the pages trying to find any information regarding the whereabouts of the Dark Fortress. He was determined that nearly getting killed by a magical beast, continually bumping into things, and climbing rickety stairs would not be for naught.

"Ah, here it is." Rei was reading aloud a section about gaining access to the main headquarters. "It says here that I must go in the small hole on the back of the large statue of the demoness. That must be the one right in front of me. Then I'm to wait until it has enough energy to send me into the fortress. Wow, that's easier than I expected."

Careful not to trip on anything, Rei limped to the statue of the demoness and went inside the little hole behind. He felt stupid sitting there and wondered if anything was going to happen.

"Huh what's this?" Rei looked at a tiny rectangle and the yellow color that was rising in it. "Let's see what the book says. It says here, 'the demoness must have full energy to transport a person. You can tell the current energy level by looking at the yellow paint inside the rectangle. Bare in mind, it takes awhile for her to regenerate energy, especially if she has recently been used…'"

Rei sighed. He was too tired to start cursing. This process was probably going to last until nightfall. Suddenly, an idea struck Rei. He could use this time to slowly heal himself the way Niime had taught him.

_Guess the old hag was good for something,_ he thought. _I need to be at full strength when I rescue my brother. I just hope he isn't dead by the time I get there.

* * *

_And thus ends another chapter. I apologize that the last part about Rei was rushed. Writing about him exploring the Dark Sanctuary was starting to get extremely tedious for me and I wanted to end it. In my opinion, I think it's better that I rushed the ending then have kept writing something tedious for another 800 words. I don't know about you but I think it's evident when people don't enjoy what they write and not a lot of fun to read.

On a lighter note, how did you all like my original character? I tried very hard to make her realistic and flawed like all human beings. Any comments would be most appreciated. Also, did the way I start the chapter add anything to the story?

That's it until next time. Don't expect another update at least for week. Writing about the infiltration of Janus's fortress is going to take a lot of time and effort.


End file.
